It's the Fear
by ThatOneTard
Summary: (COMPLETE!) A darkness is looming deep within...A horrific shadow that threatens to destroy their peaceful little world from the inside. Boruto and Sarada must find the source before they too become victims in a string of senseless massacres, and a violent takeover becomes Konoha's future. Warning: Lots of death! HORROR (Hardcore BoruSara!)
1. penetration

**DISCLAIMER:** _I am only typing this once for this story: I do not own Naruto or Boruto. Naruto and the next generation is the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Shueisha. Support the official release._

* * *

 **WARNING:** _It may_ tease _it, but there are not explicit scenes in this. Sexually explicit ones at least. What this does have in bounty is tons of dread throughout. Oh, and hardcore BoruSara. :P_

 **GOAL:** _I really wanted to knock my limits down and write a gruesome story, yet I wanted it tied very much to a theme and story, a psychological one even (it gets there, trust me on that), so it's not just some pointless violent or morbid drivel. So read on, and tell me what you think afterward, and if you're under sixteen, discretion is advised if you're sensitive. But don't worry, I'll probably just scare you off with the first couple of paragraphs anyway (albeit for different reasons) No I'm not kidding._ :3

 _Also, **THE ENDING HAS ALREADY BEEN WRITTEN**! I'm just tidying this story's later parts up before I post them and the ending scene. Until then, please don't kill me for 1, starting another fic without updating the others, and 2, for leaving the chapters off the way I do... **This was originally a one-shot** , but it started to evolve just a bit so will be five short parts instead. Enjoy. _

* * *

**IT'S THE FEAR**

 **penetration**

* * *

 _Blood and breath._

Scrolls flew, papers scattered into the air and wood creaked as his body was thrown into the wooden surface. Recovering, he sat up, hands bracing the ends of the desk.

 _Ow._

"Listen," Boruto said. "It's no big dea—"

"You almost died!" Sarada snapped, placing a balled hand on her hip. The other hand jerked for his collar, grabbing hold of it in a tight fist. He sucked in his breath, being suddenly drawn so close to her. There was an intent stare, his lips parted slightly.

"You scared the crap out of me!"

The mission report they'd been told to turn in fluttered from his fingers and landed softly to the floor.

"Don't you ever—"

Sarada's words were cut short as his hands grabbed her, pulling her even closer toward him, and his lips enveloped hers.

It took her by surprise but soon the harsh grip that had so tightly clung to his shirt was now wrapping around his neck. Slowly and still immersed in their kiss, they dipped back until he was supine against the desk and she was hovering over him, her legs between his sides and her arms were on either side of his head. Something nudged at his back but he ignored it.

Slowly, the kiss trailed down, until her chin had fallen over his shoulder. There was a pause, then she began trembling ever so softly.

He really had screwed up, to have caused this much grief then.

"I'm sorry I scared you yesterday...But I ain't going anywhere without you. I promise."

Once again a fist curled, her brow bunched up. Her straddle on him tightened. "I'd thought you were dead! I mean do you know how much it scared me, I thought you were gone for good!"

He winced. Noticing, she instantly loosened her grip and smiled apologetically. Inheriting her mother's strength was a blessing, but it could turn into such a curse at times. "Sorry," she whispered. "I just...I don't know what I would have done if—"

"Then don't," he said. "Stop thinking for one minute and just..." His voice trailed off as he just stared at her in utter captivation.

She arched an eyebrow. "Boruto...You're doing it again."

"I know," he said stupidly. You could not lie to this girl. "Sarada," he whispered, struggling to hide the spark inside him. His heart was beating thunderously, betraying him.

"Bo..." She looked at him hesitantly, biting her lip. "We can't just—"

He kissed her before she could finish. Passionately. Dragging her down with him, her knees bent. He began to jerk his jacket off.

Freed from the bulk of hot fabric he wrapped his bare arms around her, fingers trailing up her back. A moan escaped her lips and a jar of pencils was kicked off. Pens cascading down in a small racket, Sarada giggled and broke their exchange, leaving Boruto frustrated and hungry.

She tucked her bangs behind her ear, smiling tauntingly at him. "You know..." she said softly, breath warm against him. A pleasant shudder ran through him. "I don't think your father's desk is a good place for this."

From under her, the Uzumaki tugged on her shirt. "Whatcha talkin' about? No one's gonna look for me here. We got the room all to ourselves."

"Alone, huh?"

A tap sounded against the window as the wind passed through the tree branches outside. Casting a shadow over them. The room darkened.

She did not say anymore, only stared out into the shadowed room, a strange look on her face.

"It's fine," he reiterated.

"It's not that," she whispered.

Something was wrong.

"Sarada...Tell me what you're thinking."

She let out a deep breath, expression rather serious as she looked down at Boruto.

"Do you think that there's a curse in my family?"

What a dumb question. He scoffed. "No."

To his frustration, Sarada shifted further back, now sitting up on top him. "Really?"

"What it even matter?" he said softly. "Come on..." His hands tugged at her, urging her to continue once again. After a moment of staring at him, she did. They began kissing again. Her's oh so softly. He reached for her surprisingly cool shoulders but his hands were suddenly seized.

She closed her eyes, laughing pleasantly but the jovial air died rather suddenly as she opened her eyes again, this time revealing the blood red color of the Sharingan.

He bit his lip, cursing. "What is it?"

"You. You lied just now."

"About the desk? It's fine. He can pick the junk up—"

"No. About the Uchiha curse."

"What's it matter, huh?" he retorted frustratedly. "Your blood does not define you."

She stared at him suspiciously. He rolled his eyes. "Look at me, and tell me I'm lying to you now."

Although some part of him hated she felt the need for her Sharingan... His thoughts were interrupted by her crushing her lips against his, her hands gripped tightly to his biceps.

"Mph!"

He was definitely going to have some bruises on his shoulders. But at least she had gotten her mind off of whatever had bothered her before and nothing was stopping them!

Then she did it again, pulled away, sitting up, but not before giving a very purposeful wiggle on his lap.

"Uw, you're torturing me, woman!"

She laughed, tucking her hair back. "Let me tie my hair first."

"Ugh!"

"And torturing you am I?" she said tauntingly, bringing her hand back down, hair bound. Outside the sun had nearly set, casting the room in a pleasant shade that made her reddened eyes seem to glow. "You might want to be careful how you speak to me. In a few years, guess who's gonna own the Uchiha Police Force?"

He nearly jumped, sitting himself up. Their faces were only inches apart, close enough to feel the other's breath. "No way!"

"Yes, way. See, ages ago the Uchiha ran the entire Force...Well, until the, you know."

No, he didn't know, but she just continued before explaining. "With the Uchiha finally being restored, the Hokage tried giving it back to my pops but he wouldn't take it. So now it's going to come to me."

"Wow...Pretty nice of the retard."

"Bo..." she said chidingly. "You shouldn't talk about him like that." She paused, countenance shifting into a playful one. "It might be seen as an act of insubordination."

He grinned, his voice low. "That a threat, _Captain_? You gonna _frisk_ me?"

She smiled, playfully motioning him to come with her finger.

He kissed her neck, she tilting her face up to grant him further access, and his fingers had just grasped the collar of her shirt, unbuttoning it when suddenly there was a sound.

The sound of a door hitting the wall.

Like there was a giant vacuum, all noise was suddenly sucked into an oblivion of quiet. Not even the sound of their heartbeats as the intruder stared at them.

Boruto fell backward, back hitting the desk, his face burning.

"Oh!" the voice stuttered, clearly just as embarrassed as they were. "Um..."

Sarada quickly buttoned her collar back up in a single fluid motion before regaining her composure. She looked the man in the eyes as if she hadn't just been caught on top his son.

"Sorry, Lord Seventh. We got carried away."

"I, um, see. I, uh..."

Sarada maneuvered over, getting off his lap and sat gracefully on the edge of the desk.

Boruto somehow found his voice. "Dad," he croaked, turning over to his stomach. "What are you doing back? I thought you left for the night..."

"I, uh...Forgot my file."

Boruto frowned and dug under him, pulling a thick folder out. Of course, it would be what was under him. He held it up. "This it?"

"Um...yeah. Um. Since when have you two...How long has this been going on?"

"..."

"How long?" his father repeated, this time with the firmness that belonged to a father and not some stuttering child who'd just witnessed something he was not supposed to.

It was Sarada who answered, matter-of-factly. "During the last day of our mission. "

"But that was yesterday," Naruto said, very confused as he stared at her. "And... , I-I see."

Yesterday. Boruto smiled briefly at the memory and jumped to the floor where all traces of that smile were soon obliterated as he looked to his dad. Naruto had drawn his hand to his forehead, rubbing it tiredly.

Sarada hopped off the desk as well, her face cast down. "I'm sorry...I didn't think..."

She looked at Boruto for help who just blushed.

"Oh, y-you're not in trouble, dear. It's just...We need to talk."

Sarada nodded. "Yes, Lord Seventh."

Naruto's tone shifted into a pleasant one. "It doesn't need to be so serious! How about you come over to our place for dinner?" He giggled. "My wife's making her own ramen!"

Boruto facepalmed.

"That would be lovely."

Rolling his eyes, Boruto headed for the door, shoving the file into his dad's hands. "Come on, geezer."

Ramen was the fastest way to get the man to regress into the mindset of a child. Far from the cool serious personality of Sarada's father.

Outside, his father led the way, file in hand. He at least stayed silent as they trekked behind, debating over the story they would tell him on the mission.

Of course, Boruto's feelings hadn't just sprung up suddenly yesterday. It had been going on for awhile. Although he wasn't too sure about her. Maybe it was the thought you don't know what you have until it's gone that pulled her closer to him.

Seriously, if his dad found out about his close call, he would ground him for months, and keep him on petty babysitting missions.

He reached for Sarada's hand and their fingers interlocked, their backs bathed in the warm dying light of the sun. It was here, this moment, he wished the world would freeze and stay put. But they weren't the only ones in it.

A retard had to screw his time with her all up. Or rather, to share it. She was utterly fascinated by his dad, by the Hokage's mantel. Would want to talk about her future plans...But it was way too early to bring up their part in it together and deep down, part of him would always dislike the mantel. It was just a simple truth.

But he was being selfish. Being too hard on his old man and her.

He wanted to apologize so bad...His feelings apparently transparent she leaned into him, whispering "You dad's so adorkable."

He sighed.

Holding her hand, he began to feel assurance radiate through him, zoned out even so that all that existed in his world were the two of them...Until Naruto suddenly stopped walking. So fast they nearly bumped into him.

"What is it, dad?" he grumbled, backing up from him.

They were close to the house. But Naruto looked as if he was miles away. Worried. "Something's off..."

"Like what?" Boruto probed.

His father did not answer, just started running, running for the house as if it was on fire.

"Dad!" Boruto called until he was jerked back by Sarada's unmoving position on the sidewalk. She had a terrified look on her face, her free hand cupped her mouth. Her Sharingan was still activated, had been since the desk, so she had to be seeing something he could not. Or rather perhaps it was she didn't see something that she should.

"Boruto," she whispered, letting go of him.

"What is it?!" he demanded.

A pale finger pointed toward his house that Naruto had run to.

"What is it?" he exclaimed again. "This isn't funny, just tell..."

The shadow of the house stretched out as if like a hand, reaching for them. Sharp spikes glittered from the house, its window panels. Drawn to it, a dot of red on its peak caught his eyes. Red liquid...He sniffed. "Kami," he breathed. "That's blood."

He ran for the door, not caring to note its cracked frame in the process. "Mom!" he cried. "Himawari!"

Stumbling in the darkness he reached for the light switch on the wall, flipped it. No lights came on, not so much of a flicker.

But that scarcely mattered when their living room had an exposing window...Its curtains were ripped, giving him just enough light to make out shapes.

On the living room floor, he could make out the shape of his father's back by the white haori he wore, it's lettering brightly crimson. He could make out him kneeling over a long dark object.

It was here that the smell of blood intensified.

"Dad?" he whispered. What was it, that shape? No, there were two of them. Laying on the floor, the smaller collided into the bigger. His breath caught in his throat and he could not fight the terror forming in his gut. "Wh...What is it?"

His father was utterly still.

"Were we robbed? Is that the thief?"

 _Mom's somewhere hiding isn't she?_

Again, his father said nothing, just hovered over the dark shapes, his head sinking further and further until it was hidden by his back.

Boruto had no choice but to approach the dark shadowy forms in front of them that reeked of blood.

Behind him, there was a whisper of words and a breath of air. Sarada. A small flame swept the air. The golden candelabra on the table lighted by her jutsu, illuminating the room just enough.

Enough to make out the forms on the floor. The stenchful puddle on the floor, dark crimson, and the body of a woman hovering over a smaller form, matted hair covering her face.

Whoever it was, they were dead. There was way too much blood to not be. The skin that he could make out was white, and...Dark hair. Like—

He gasped. No. This was wrong.

Naruto lifted the body up and cried out when the hair fell, exposing the face they knew to be that of the Hyuuga Heiress. Wife and mother.

"Hinata!" he cried. "What happened!?"

She, of course, gave no answers, and her hand dropped from where it had been held protectively over the smaller body, Himawari.

Boruto crashed into the floor, reaching out for his little sister. "Hima!"

His mother had tried protecting her so she had to be alright! Just scared!

"It's okay now, they're gone!"

Cold skin met his, and the young girl gave no response.

Shaking, he placed his fingers to her neck and he fought back a sob when he found her tiny form devoid of a pulse. Her already pale eyes utterly and terrifically blank, her face so pale. Her hoodie bloodied.

"No..." he cried, voice breaking. "What the heck's going on!?"

This had to be some sick dream or prank. No, no one on earth would dare pull such a disgusting prank, not even him. A dream then. But this dream was so cold, too morbid to even conceive and—

Sarada fell to her knees beside him, pulling him up into a hug, tears running down her face. He again tried fighting his own back as he shook against her violently. No. He couldn't cry, that would mean he was acknowledging this sick prank as truth. But no. This was real. The cool of the room, the smells.

"Someone killed them," he couldn't help growl angrily, shifting away from her. "Who did this!? Who would dare!?"

He looked to his father accusingly. "Just what kind of enemies have you made you stupid idiot!? How could you make our family a freaking target!? HOW COULD YOU?!"

"Boruto," Sarada cried, snapping him backward. "Don't take this out on him!"

If Naruto had heard the accusations thrown at him, he gave no sign. A hand briefly touched the forehead of his daughter. "I'm so sorry..." he whispered brokenly. "Daddy's gonna fix this."

He lifted her onto his knees, moving her tenderly as if he was afraid he would break her. Bracing her body he leaned her forward, stomach-down and pulled her pink jacket up to expose the entrance wound on her back. He wiped the blood away with his thumb until the wound was made out. A relatively small hole shape-wise. But depth-wise...It went from her back to her chest, diving straight through vital organs.

"Same as her mother. This was done with a blade in a single stab, a long one." Naruto's brow scrunched, his teeth gritted together as the baby pink fabric fell back into place. "A sword then."

Boruto was shaking so hard he almost fell as he pushed forward. "Someone killed them with a freaking sword!?"

"Get the phone. We need to call for help. Not the Anbu yet, just Sakura."

"What good is she when they're dead!?" Boruto cried. "Huh, stupid?! She can't bring them back to life!"

Naruto grabbed him by the shoulders. "Boruto, I know this is hard but standing here and crying isn't going to accomplish anything. We need to find who did this and make sure they don't attack anyone else. Okay? I promise we're going to catch the monster who did this!"

Regardless his words, the Hokage was crying just the same. Tears were streaming down his face in multiple rivulets. It was the first time Boruto had ever seen his father cry.

"Dad," he whimpered. "It's—They're..."

"Call for help."

With that, his father leaned back down, ripping one of his sleeves. He pushed the fabric into the wound on Hinata's chest and began thrusting his palms into it. "Please," he cried, pumping down once more in a hopeless plight. "Please—Just breath, come back to me!"

Biting his lip, Boruto took one of the lighted candlesticks and gave it to Sarada. "Flashlight's under the sink," he said numbly.

He could still hear his father's voice from the kitchen. His desperate yells. "Get up! Please! Get up!"

His heart clenched at the sound, and it was now he wept, kneeled under the pitch sink, reaching for a flashlight.

How could this be happening? Himawari. His mom. They had never done anything to anyone. They were the most important family he had. He couldn't imagine life without them, their smiles. Heck, even those times they scared the crap out of him with their Byakugan...

He sniffed, smiling at the memory.

He briefly felt a presence, someone touch his back. He jumped, sucking in his breath.

"I—" He turned. No one was there.

"Sarada?"

"Over here, something caught my eye." She entered from the doorway, holding her candle and a small object in her other hand.

"Boruto?"

"Yeah?" he asked, rubbing his face and shaking his head to clear it.

She held out the small object, a shred of fabric, stained with blood. "Who did this come from?"

It was dark. Definitely not something from Hinata or Himawari. But not material from the house either.

"I dunno...Uh, give it here, we'll show your mom."

Pocketing the scrap, he flipped the switch on the flashlight and together they crept for the hallway where the phone had been left on a table, a catch-all piece of thing.

Reaching for the device, Boruto's thought continued to whirl around in a blizzard. The rest of the house's visible interior said nothing of the horror right at the door. From what he could see, the other rooms hadn't been touched. Meaning whoever had broken in was good enough to do their sick job quickly and efficiently. They all knew that this person would have had to be good to get the drop on Hinata.

Boruto fumbled, trying to grasp the phone, but the buttons became impossible to push because his soaked fingers and he almost cried again. The only thing that kept him from throwing it at the wall and screaming was the thought that the assailant was still out there. Sakura could tell them more about them if she saw the scene and they could use her knowledge to figure out who did it.

The phone continued to be difficult with his soaked fingers and he let out a frustrated hiss. He rubbed them against his jacket, trying to dry them. He didn't care whatsoever if he stained it in the process, forget it!

He picked it back up and dialed. He got nothing but an annoying tone, expounding of the lack of connection. "Ugh!" he hissed, finally giving into the urge to throw it. It shattered against the wall.

How his dad had remained relatively calm to try to plan ahead was beyond him and his own abilities currently. Perhaps it was just being an adult.

Sarada reached for his hand and held it. "I'll run and get her."

"No." He held tightly to her. "Stay with me...Please."

"Very well," she whispered, casting her eyes down. It was walking back to the grim scene she made her quiet suggestion. "Maybe...Maybe my dad can bring them back with his Rinnegan..."

"At the cost of his own lifespan? My dad could never ask him that."

"Do you think he would if he did, though?"

Boruto shrugged.

"Dad," he croaked once they had come back to the living room. "The phone's out. No service."

No service and no electricity. Someone didn't want them getting help. Or warning anyone else. Not without leaving the victims or splitting up.

His father who had been trying to restore Himawari next sat up, his shoulders quivering. A knee was drawn up, his arm thrown over it. His face was buried in it.

Inexplicably, not being able to see his father's face was terrifying just itself.

"Dad," he whispered, insides raw. It was taking everything to keep his voice from breaking into sobs.

Finally, the man found his resolve, his fingers curled. "We still need to get help. Find who did this." He stood, expression dark. "Stay here, I'll be right back."

"No!"

His father turned to him, staring at him with an intent weary gaze. Boruto stared back.

"We're going with you."

_-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-_

Outside, the clouds had filled up the sky, foreboding rainy weather.

Like the Uzumaki residence, they found the Uchiha's dwelling dark and quiet. But there was tell-tale signs disarray right from the outside. The swing had collapsed, a rod protruded from the window. Sarada catching notice of her house's condition rushed through the door and there was no catching up to her.

"MOM!" she screamed, barreling through the house.

"Sarada!" Boruto cried rushing after her. Cold empty rooms warped into a twisted maze of shadows. He lost her and could only slow down to catch his breath and look.

The rooms were torn asunder, and not in the usual way. Once in awhile, yes, Sakura would break her house, cause it to collapse. But she kept it clean and in order like there was no tomorrow. What Boruto saw now was a mess, furniture broken, the walls slashed.

And stained by blood splatters. Recent, judging by the wetness.

"No..." he whispered, scrambling past an overturned chair.

Something jumped up, darting between his ankles. He fell backward, heart leaping out of his chest, yelping.

Small green eyes sparkled before disappearing in the shadows with a soft pitter patter of claws.

He sat there for a moment, breathing heavily.

"You alright?" His father's voice came from behind him.

"Yeah," he panted. "I t-think it was just a cat."

His father held his hand out to him. Boruto ignored it and got to his feet without his father's help. He smacked the end of the flashlight in his palm to get it to flick back on.

Naruto shined his own flashlight around the room. He stopped at a picture frame that had fallen from the wall. In the picture, he and Sakura and the rest of Team Kakashi were smiling, all together for the first time since the war. Sai too, and Yamato. And Sasuke. The glass was cracked, splitting the group from one of its members. He pointed the flashlight down, eyes narrowed in deep thought. "Sakura-chan doesn't have a cat."

"The cat must have snuck in then, this place is a wreck."

"I don't think it came from the village at all..."

What was that even supposed to mean?

"What are talking about?"

His father simply shook his head and shined his light around the room. "Look at all these slashes. They're angry, heavy. Full of rage. Someone must have come through here with a vendetta...Or just pure madness."

"But who and why? Are they the same people who broke in our—" His inquiry was interrupted by a shrill scream.

"Sarada!"

They both ran towards the sound of her voice. The next room. In it, they could see her looking at a form who was huddled on a couch, her back turned to them.

There was no mistaking that light shade of hair, the red dress.

"Mom," she whispered, shaking the shoulder. "We found you, thank goodness! Someone attacked Boruto's mom and sis..."

"..."

She kneeled, shaking harder. "Hey, Mom? Look at me."

Boruto sucked in a breath, pointing his light on the two. Illuminated, numerous cuts and abrasions appeared, littering the woman's entire body. Her fists were still curled, and red.

"Oh Sakura," Naruto breathed.

"Come on, Mom."

She turned her over and blood poured from the woman's chest, soaking her daughter.

Sarada screamed, buckling backward. "Mom!" she cried. "No! NO!"

Boruto caught her, grabbing hold of her so she could not leave his arms. She struggled briefly before collapsing into him, sobbing.

"We're going to find who did this," he said through gritted teeth, hating himself for being so helpless to do anything to save their families. For only being able to cry, knowing that this nightmare could never just be reversed no matter how badly he wanted to wake up from it and everything to be fine.

Her cries turned into pained screams.

A broken "Why?" repeated itself between her vibrant sobs. Then:

"Why are you doing this?! Why did you kill her!?"

 _Who?_

He almost asked it out loud until he noticed the shadow across them, lingering in front of the shoji screen door. Red flashing from its ghostly face.

* * *

 **AN:** _Thanks for surviving the first part! As always I wanna hear your thoughts and predictions and reviews! But what I don't want to hear is any ranting on what was done to the family members! You're gonna have to trust me until the end shows itself._


	2. execution

"Mom!" Sarada cried. "No! NO!"

Boruto caught her, grabbing hold of her so she could not leave his arms. Sarada struggled briefly before collapsing into him, sobbing.

"We're going to find who did this," he said through gritted teeth.

Her cries turned into pained screams. A broken "Why?" repeated itself between her violent sobs. Then: "Why are you doing this?! Why did you kill her!?"

It was then that he noticed the shadow across them, red flashing from its ghostly face.

The shadow blinked before it came forward to reveal its skin. The clothes and hair were dark and all too familiar.

Sasuke.

* * *

 **IT'S THE FEAR**

 **execution**

* * *

" _You know," Naruto commented, scanning over a roster of available missions on a clipboard, "that you aren't the only Uchiha who dreamed of being Hokage? Just the first one who will reach it."_

 _Sarada fought the urge to lean over and read over his shoulder. "So you will start teaching me?"_

 _He set the clipboard down, rather unhappily before he shifted his full attention to her and smiled."It would be my absolute pleasure. In fact, the way I see it, it's never too soon to prep. As a future Hokage, I'll make sure you have_ everything _you need for the future. This means the knowledge of the past Hokage as well. What I know is at your disposal."_

 _Sarada smiled, barely able to contain her happiness. Regardless her younger age, he had taken her request to meet with him in private to discuss the matter seriously and she appreciated it. Calming herself, she bowed. "Thank you."_

 _The man smiled back at her. But soon that smile sobered._

" _Sarada...There're some things we're going to have to talk about. Specifically about the Uchiha history. Specifically your father's. Just general things. But things you won't find in any library."_

 _She stared at him, a sense of worry pricking itself into her. "Is it classified as S-Rank info or something?"_

" _No...Well, yes. Kind of. It's complicated." His bandaged hand rubbed through his hair, almost nervously. Rumor was he had lost his real appendage during the war. When he and her father had fought that one last time. "Has your pa ever talked to you about why he doesn't stay in the village?"_

" _Not really. Mom says it's just a long string of important missions, like to search for more of those dangerous white beings and stuff like that."_

" _He came back to the village for a spell recently, hasn't he?" the man sighed. He was never one for serious talks. Not without it being interjected with personal side comments. "Maybe he should be here for this..."_

" _The moment he came back, your son nabbed him. He does that all that time. He's with him now, training. But I guess you could say while he learns under him, I can do preparations with you." She gave him a hopeful glance._

" _Ah, of course."_

 _Outside the office, an Anbu shifted. "Lord Hokage? That_ A _mission—"_

" _I'll find another team," he said quickly._

" _But sir, there are no other teams. Konohamaru—"_

 _Naruto answered with a frustrated, "Later, Karasu!"_

 _There was a hesitant "Yes, sir" then the man's shadow flickered and he was gone._

 _With that Naruto shut the door. The room filled with silence. Now in utter privacy he sat back down at his desk, leaning back in his chair, swinging it back slightly._

 _She glanced to the door, worried. "Lord Seventh, is something going on? An A-rank mission? Our team can handle something of that caliber..."_

" _You don't miss anything, do you, Sarada? But," he said. "Not now."_

 _He motioned her to a seat stationed in front of his desk. "Go ahead and sit down so we can talk about our first line of business. Your father."_

" _Alright." She sat, waited for him to continue. He had this strange almost distant look on his face. Perhaps a sense of sadness._

" _Seventh?"_

" _Let's just say there're some skeletons in the closet, and yes I believe they're as dead as dust, history must still be made known, especially to you if you're going to bear the Hokage's mantel, lest history repeats."_

_-xXx-_

"Sensei?" Boruto croaked. "Who did..."

Sasuke was holding a sword. This alone was not unusual or worth a second glance. The blood dripping down the steel blade was.

Boruto's words trailed off, his eyes following the line of the weapon. Seeing it drip, seeing the recesses of the holder's skin, his clothes, equally stained. And judging by the splatters...

The blood had come from below, from it spurting up. Not from dripping down as it would have done had he seen and held her after the attack. No. It came from below, directly below.

It was that inward revelation that sent a chill to the marrow of his bones.

"Sensei...?"

This had to be some misunderstanding, a wrong-time-wrong-place kind of thing.

Naruto promptly stood in front of the two. "Sasuke," he said. "You have five seconds to explain this."

Sasuke said nothing, just flicked his eyes to Naruto, the expression dark under the shadow of his long bangs.

"Did you do this?" he asked, voice low and on the verge of becoming a growl.

Then came the most uncaring tone Boruto had ever heard in his life:

"And what if I did?"

Next thing Boruto knew, Naruto was jumping on Sasuke, screaming his name between curses. They crashed through the screen door, breaking it before skidding across the grass outside. The rain had begun to fall, let loose from the heavens.

"Now of all times!" Naruto hissed. Lightning whipped across the skies angrily. Boruto could only rush outside and fall back into the house's paneling, feeling the immense threatening aura that was the Hokage and his operative. And feeling it, the doubts of the man's innocence washed away under pure terror.

It was a look of insanity, of pure malice.

But no. None of this could be right. Only last week Boruto had trained with Sasuke and he was nothing like this! What was emitting such a choking malicious atmosphere at them was another person altogether.

"Explain yourself," Naruto growled slowly, his trembling fist hovering over the Uchiha. The other hand was balled tightly to Sasuke's shirt, so hard his knuckles were white. "Now!"

Rainwater slid down them, and for what felt like a moment fringing on forever, it was the only sound. The water, his breath, tainted by the smell of rust.

And then Sasuke smirked and hope died. Naruto's teeth gritted.

"People always told me ," he said, his voice on the verge of breaking, "that the past would be just too much for you to truly get over. That you would regress back. I always told them to that was impossible. That you were no longer bound by your clan's curse of hatred. But I see now. Always cutting off ties with people, deluding yourself...They were right, weren't they? Regardless my faith you just had to finally hit the point of no return, huh. You crossed that line again and it's for the last time, Sasuke. I can't do it again! I can't carry it when I have the village and my own family to bear. I can't do it again...Not after all these years."

"It was never a burden I asked you to take," Sasuke answered cooly, tone laced with acid. "In fact, I tried releasing you multiple times, you just wouldn't die. I won't fail in that regard again."

Naruto slugged him across the face crying angrily. "Did you kill my family too?! Your's not enough?! Who are you working for? I want the names Sasuke—you didn't do this by yourself!"

From under him, the Uchiha stared with disinterest, even as red dripped from his lips. "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. What's it matter?"

The nonchalant tone was a distraction. With lightning speed, his arm jerked upward, stabbing a kunai into Naruto's abdomen. Naruto cringed, rolling off onto his hands and knees. He pulled the blade out, throwing it to the side and grimaced as blood seeped out profusely. He pressed his hand over the entrance but the leakage only continued to spread at a rapid rate.

Sasuke stood and hovered over the Hokage's hunched form, pointing his sword at his neck.

"I hit your abdominal aorta. I doubt the Nine-Tails' chakra can repair it before you lose too much blood. Either way, you're going to be dead in a short while."

"Monster," Naruto spat.

"I'm going to finish what I should have long ago. _Hokage_."

He had said it so mockingly that it hurt even Boruto. Why was he acting like this!?

Naruto jumped up, foot aimed high, forcing Sasuke to leap backward from the kick. Naruto stood straight, a feral expression on his face as they faced each other once again in challenge. "Give. Me. Names."

Sasuke again just smirked.

"You're about to die and still you bother. Hopeless as ever."

"You're really lost...Sasuke, you're giving me no choice here. Again, one last time. Give me the names of the others."

As apathetic as ever Sasuke stared at Naruto, sword still held out, dripping with Sakura's blood. "You've always been weak. Too dependent. That's why we're here today. Think you're going to stop me? You don't have the balls. You never did, and you never will."

Naruto grimaced. "Don't make me do it Sasuke, I will."

His lips curled into a cruel smirk. "You can't. You said it yourself. One who cannot save his friend can't be Hokage. You'd dirty your perfectly clean hands with my blood, then what would you be? Something you've long fought against. You're pathetic."

Naruto winced, his face pointed down.

Dark eyes trailed to the spectators now and landed pointedly at Sarada. She recoiled back, facial expression aghast.

"Sarada," he said, voice cold. "You're something that never should have happened. A disgrace to the true Uchiha bloodline. I'll have to purge it of you before I leave. You and your connection to the Senju."

He had looked at Boruto when he'd said the latter, voice hinting at an accusing tone.

Naruto ran in front of the two, shielding them. "You won't hurt her or anyone else. Not anymore!"

"That's not for you to decide."

"Sasuke, I'm done with it!" Regardless the fight in his words, there was a threatening sway of his knees, he nearly buckled, hand held over the wound on his stomach. He hissed, orange surrounding his eyes as he desperately dug for chakra to sustain him long enough. "I will not have you polluting the future. I go down, you're going with me."

Sarada pushed past Naruto's stance yelling, "No! What's wrong with you Papa?! Why are you doing this?"

Naruto grabbed her arm, yanking her back. "He's lost it. Sweety, get back."

Sarada shook her head vigorously.

The tomei of Sasuke's sharingan began to spin, expanding. Naruto's hand flew up, covering her eyes.

She cried. "Please, Dad, stop!"

Electricity crackled, slicing forward from Sasuke's arm. Naruto nearly threw himself backward, taking her with him, nature chakra enhancing both speed and distance.

Further, back they stood, his breath slightly labored. "I am done with this, Sasuke. You've given me no choice but to take you down.."

Her fingers clawed his arm, trying to keep him from attacking, and she cried out, "Please, don't, stop. Please! Both of you!" He shook his head, looking at her in compassion "Sarada, I need you to think about the reality of the situation and let me do what I have to do...I'm sorry." After a moment, those fingers that had so desperately fought to keep holding him slowly slid down limply, with tears.

He let her go, pushing her behind him where she collapsed, face buried in her hands.

"Don't look." Naruto said, walking forward. "Don't look back, just keep going."

"What are you saying?" Boruto cried out, reaching for her trembling form.

" _Run_."

Before he could protest at the notion, Sasuke lunged forward, sword swinging in a wide arc. With a growl, Naruto rushed to block it. Blade held by his arm, their positions locked against the others, his fingers danced into movement, weaving the proper seals for his clone jutsu. "You two will get out. Find help."

The clone he created stood in front of the couple, both shielding and barricading them from interfering with what was clearly going to become mortal combat. More clones rushed by, four, all weaving seals. Boruto barely caught the signs in time. But he did, and he knew what it meant.

An almost impossible to break barricade. It was this moment that it was engraved in him, the truth that they were going to kill each other.

"DAD!" Boruto cried. Never had he seen either so serious. The Kyuubi's chakra swam around the Hokage, pushing Sasuke back for just a few seconds. Words caught in his throat as he reached out in vain. His mouth hung open before his teeth gnashed together. "You do this and you'll...Don't!"

The Hokage didn't respond to his son's cries. Just took a long breath and unbuttoned his haori. What he had cherished for so long, worn with pride, fell to the ground, landing in a puddle at his feet, its crimson letters becoming lost in its folds. He got in an offensive stance.

The red wall of the barrier swept up, entrapping the two fathers in, and leaving their children out. The last thing he heard his father say was: "Boruto. Do as I say and get out of here..."

The rest nearly become lost in an explosion of chakra.

"I don't want either of you to see this."

_-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-_

"I don't think he did it alone," she whispered. "Like the Hokage said, there were others."

"Yeah," Boruto mumbled numbly, chin rested on his knees.

Neither of them felt like talking. It was as if they had been robbed their voices. The chance to do anything to stop what had happened, what was, and what would. They could only hide and wait out the storm as the literal one let up and faded to a soft sprinkle, leaving them wet and cold. Let the Hokage handle it...

The state of the Uchiha and Uzumaki residence only bore witness to the scale of the assault on all of them. Two different styles of kills. One anything but personal, clinically quick, the other the fringe of a twisted psyche. Yet both had to be connected somehow. Somehow...

Boruto looked to Sarada. She had the heel of her palms dug into her eyes, whispering, "I couldn't stop him...I can't stop any of it..."

She had said it as if she was to blame for all what had transpired. For a moment he was confused but shook his head.

"None of that is your fault," he said softly, staring at the ground. A bug slowly trekked across the path of flashlight's beam as it flickered across the ground, handle moist with faded blood. "He made his choice. They both did. They're just...Geezers."

He wiped his eyes, sniffing. _Stupid geezers. Stupid..._ Seeing his father's back in his mind still, he ached.

They were seated outside the academy. They had come for help, someone, anyone. Maybe it was the rain or the time of eve, but absolutely no one was around. Not even the extra clone that had guarded them. It had soon disappeared and Boruto could only wonder in horror if it meant his father's defeat. He clutched the swing's ropes tightly. His father...Gone.

Remorse ebbed through him like a tide in a dark sea.

His father wasn't coming back. And he was the one who had made that choice. Maybe he hadn't had any other options if it meant protecting them but still...In times of crisis, the Hokage had a terrible record of dying off and leaving loved ones behind. It was just a simple truth, their sacrifice. His father was no exception.

 _I hate this!_

"But who else?" Sarada said, snapping him back to the present of what felt like a twisted nightmare. "The Hokage had no huge enemies to warrant such a personal war!"

"And Sensei. Why would he just...What motives would Sensei even have?"

"Actually..."

"What?" he asked numbly.

Sarada slowly made to his lap, sitting on it. She rested her head against his shoulder. The long strands of her hair wet and clumped together. She shivered gently against him. "Did you ever hear about the Uchiha Massacre?"

"The what?"

"The Uchiha Massacre. Happened when my father was a child."

"No. Dad doesn't like talking about the past before the war. He mostly just babbles on about future plans and junk..."

"That's right. He never even told you about Orochimaru...Well, there's a reason my pa and I are the only Uchiha left."

It seemed stupid now that he thought of it but he had never actually questioned why that was. Now was the miserable time to apparently. "Why?"

"The Hokage told me about it. But I wanted to know more. So, yesterday, after we got back, I started studying my dad's side of the family. I only've known about mom's but no one brings up my other grandparents...I just wanted to know more about me and my sharingan...So I asked around but no one could tell me anything, so I had to read about it instead. I found some files in my father's study. There's a reason no one talks about it. You see, the Uchiha once rivaled the Hyuuga."

"That's impossible," he said, eyes fogging at the mention of the Hyuuga. His mother...His sister..."Have you seen my mom's family? The Hyuuga's a huge clan. Huge estate, we just don't live in it. How could they rival them when they're...Well, just you guys?"

She sighed. "He had an older brother. Itachi. He _killed_ them all."

Boruto blinked. "What? Wait, you're saying you had an uncle and he just offed the clan?"

He actually couldn't even imagine something like that happening in Konoha. Konoha was the Land of Fire's biggest tourist site for cripes sake. For a clan that rivaled the large Hyuuga clan to be taken out within its own gates...And they managed to actually _bury_ this?

"The Uchiha were transpiring to start a coup d'etat. So to protect the village...He killed everyone but his little brother...My dad was like six or something when that happened."

"Geez, no wonder he turned out so screwed up. Sounds like something out of a horror series documenting one of those big city serial killers."

Sarada flinched. "Mom says that's why it's hard for him to be close to us. Seeing that level of debauchery to his family up close traumatized him. Made him hungry for vengeance. Orochimaru drew him further into that darkness..."

"So that's why he left Team Kakashi back then..." Boruto muttered, realization dawning on him.

"But that was before the war. The war changed everything, triggered healing and progress."

Of course, the world's rebirth and the beginning of what would become the biggest generation gap their world had ever known.

But time only proved that people didn't change. Human nature...

"Maybe Orochimaru's ex-assistant, Kabuto, he's influencing him or they're working together again. He made him regress back." Boruto knew he was grasping at straws, but it was the only thing he had. They had to start somewhere.

"But Kabuto earned Konoha's trust—"

"Our moms are dead, Sarada." He pulled out the torn fabric, inspecting it once again. On it, a tiny white speck. A chip of clay? The scale of a snake? "We can't trust anyone anymore until we get to the bottom of this."

_-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-_

They came upon the orphanage and found it surrounded by a vast grim silence. No children played outside or laughed. Nothing but a quiet solitude. But then again, the ever-growing structure resided in the outskirts of the village, free from the hustle and bustle of the town.

It was a peaceful and safe place, surrounded by only animal life and countless trees. Their branches stood still as the two sped through them, cloaked by the darkness.

Coming upon the building, Boruto figured that everyone, the children at least, were in bed. Kabuto wouldn't dare touch them. That would just be gratuitous and a waste of energy he would have needed for the true heads he was after.

No one answered when the knocked or even greeted them in the foyer.

There should have at least been one person who watched over the entrance. Or kept it locked for that matter, but the door had just swung open as if eerily welcoming them out of the cold.

Sarada came to the same conclusion he did. "Bo...It's just too quiet here, even if they're asleep."

He didn't like the insinuation and it made his blood chill. First the Hokage, then the Hokage's friend. Perhaps there was a connection if someone wanted to hurt the Hokage and initiate an all-out attack against Naruto. But the orphanage? How did that fit in exactly?

Just what was Kabuto's goal?

There were no shocked gasps when the first body came into view, just a knowing grimness, and sincere condolences at the sight of the pale oddity that was a Shin clone. Sarada kneeled beside the rather heavyweight form, fingers touching its neck gently.

"Kid?"

He watched her somberly, fighting back trembles that threatened to rattle his flashlight. He didn't sense an enemy here or anything. But something else. Something intangible, a force maybe. Like a conjured spirit.

"The child's dead."

He uttered a curse, lowering his flashlight. "He's not the only one I bet. Just how far has this gone?"

"I don't know. But we need to find out."

The further they went through the morbid halls, its walls lined with drawings and picture frames, the more apparent the massacre became. No one had been spared, the orderlies remained hovered over their children, but in utter vain and equally devoid of life.

Like Boruto's mother and sister, the hits were quick. There had been no resistance, not at first. The halls gained more blood and rushed strikes as awareness of the murderer must have swept through the scared children.

But there was one truth that set the Shin clones apart from the rest of the parent-less children and the workers.

"Their eyes," Sarada whispered.

Boruto grimaced, pulling a child's head upward. In the flashlight he could make out shiny red, covering the face, matting the hair. And a deep violent slash, crossing with black holes. Empty sockets.

Bile instantly rose in his throat.

"They took their Sharingan," she cried. "They ripped their bloody sharingan out! _All_ of them!"

He dropped the child and rushed to the side, throwing up.

Was Kabuto this sick? Or was it someone else?

Coughing, he wiped his mouth, shaking his head. "I-Is all this for the Uchiha power?" he croaked. "This isn't just about my dad anymore. It has to be bigger...Is it someone who wants to start another coup? Is that why they're attacking our families? And they need the rest of the sharingan? And how's your father in on it? What's he gain!?"

"I don't know," she whispered, shaken up. She turned her attention to the corner of the ceiling. From it, black glistened in the shape of a lens. "But there should be security footage, these kids were killed right in this hallway. Right where the camera is. It'll give us a clue on the attacker themselves. We also need to find Kabuto, see if he was the rat who let this monstrosity in. Or if he's dead as well...The wounds don't match his weapon preferences."

"Yeah."

"We'll split up."

"No," he protested, grabbing at her arm.

She looked at him, eyebrows drawn down as she pulled his hand away. It fell limply. "Bo, someone is killing a lot of people. It's not just my dad, so we don't have time to dilly dally. There's a monster, or a whole lot of them, out there."

"But should we split up? I mean, what if the enemy—"

"Just call for help if you need it. We do have radios."

Phones were common but radios were imperative for any shinobi to carry. Luckily they both had their pouches on. Protests stuck in his throat, he strapped the piece to his neck, placing the bud in his ear.

"Still...We really gonna _split_ up?"

Her sharingan glimmered. "Their bodies are still kind of warm, meaning it was recent. We have two trails, both could be imperative. Kabuto...and the footage. I'll look for Kabuto, put him to sleep if I see him, he'll know the ins and outs of this place and if he wasn't involved, he still has to know something. You check the footage in case it's someone else. The computers should be in the west wing, that's where the security room is."

"Right. But..."

As if feeling the same as he, she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. Neither of them bothered with the line that everything was going to be alright. Just clung to the other just for a moment.

Then like a wisp of air, it was gone. She was gone.

Taking a deep breath, he made his way through the dark halls, careful not to disturb the dead, their faces like that of eyeless dolls, their absent spirits leaving them mere husks of an unfortunate demise. Their ghostly forms made his skin crawl, the paleness, the blank sockets...

"It never goes well when they split up in the movies," he grumbled to himself.

" _Well, we have radios,"_ a voice buzzed from his earpiece. He smiled grimly, just able to picture her saying this at any other time, with her nose up, pushing her glasses up. " _And this isn't a movie, get your head out of the clouds."_

 _Still..._

The door to the security room was locked. He felt around the hard surface. Sturdy. Part of him wished it was a cheap wood but that was not the case. He braced himself, channeling his chakra to his feet, aimed for the knob and kicked. With a second kick, the door cracked open, squealing like a dying cry.

"Alrighty," he mumbled, entering in. Multiple screens greeted him, flickering dimly on a ratty looking desk. The electricity was in working condition here at least. But to his dismay, he quickly discovered that the light bulb in the lamp overhead was broke.

Cursing, he sat in the swivel chair and set his flashlight on the desk, and watched the screens for a moment. He could see almost the entire orphanage from the monitors. See the sheer number of bodies. And Sarada as she slowly crept through the halls, keeping in the shadows, her own flashlight off. It was odd how the sharingan could seem to just glow in the darkness, like the eyes of a cat.

Taking a deep breath, his grip tightened on the mouse and he moved the pointer through the time bar on the bottom of the main screen. Time flew backward, bodies rose as a shadow swept behind them.

"Ah!" he exclaimed, seeing it flash by.

He missed it.

He squinted, leaning forward. "Who are you..?"

He briefly recalled his father's words earlier. He had said to call Sakura for help. Just her. Perhaps...His thoughts froze as did his breath, as he focused as hard as he could on mirage on the screen.

At normal speed, it was a dark blur, impossible to catch at the right second. "I'm not gonna let you go," he hissed, fighting with the time on the screen again. To get it to freeze with the assailant in view on just the right fraction of a second. So far it hid in the shadows or was covered by the victim. He leaned even closer, eyes glued to the pixels. Ah—the frame was nearing the point where a head became clear. Whoever they were...His fingers tightened against the mouse, his palms sweaty.

"Almost—"

Pain shot through him and the mouse shattered as a kunai drove through his hand.

* * *

 **AN: Thank you for the follows and favorites and even a couple of reviews!** _ **Reviews help me write better!** And to write more, so there will be some more BoruSara stories in the future, ones without massacres XD My lands this one starts out so horrible..._


	3. attraction

_AN: Youtube 'Just Died In Your Arms' by Hidden Citizens for chap. And the next one. :3_

 _Also, since there's a sprinkle of some violence which will explode in this and the next part (4 of 5 chaps) I let myself attempt to turn up the BoruSara in this chunk. This story is categorized what it is for a reason._

* * *

A kunai drove into his hand and Boruto screamed.

A hand clamped over his mouth, muffling his cry. Reflexively, he wrenched himself away from its grip. But they weren't giving him a chance to escape further. His head was slammed forward, hitting the keyboard with fierce force. They were bigger than him, using their weight to topple him. In the corner of his eyes, he saw the glint of a blade, a tantō!

Struggling against their grip and upper hand, his thoughts raced. One, he was going to be cut to ribbons in a moment. Two: that was an Anbu's blade.

A professional assassin. Great.

* * *

 **IT'S THE FEAR**

 **attraction**

* * *

 _The thing about A-Rank missions, especially ones you had to practically beg to be allowed on? Don't be stupid, don't disobey direct orders, and especially don't get caught. Boruto, of course, found a way to do all three._

 _He came to, strange voices and smells swimming in the air. The smells, perhaps concrete and an oddly sweet and burnt scent. He shook his head groggily and groaned. He was...seated. Limbs...He couldn't move them. Reasons dodged him, floating there but out of his reach._

 _He had either been drugged or tased by the feeling. Probably tased. He threw his head back, eyes still closed. It was like there was a wall between him and his chakra._

Come on, man. Focus...

 _He pulled his arms only to meet a stinging resistance. Wire or zip tie, he mused. Each wrist was tied to a separate leg of the chair. Tightly enough to cut off the circulation in his hands. He blinked, trying to open his eyes so he could see. He only saw pitch black and upon focusing harder realized it was because he was blindfolded. Gagged as well so trying to communicate and talk his way out to the voices in the background wasn't an option._

Crap.

 _It came back to him slowly, in blurry little flashes. The mission: protect the previously inside man and get him to safety. If they failed they would lose the ring of drug traders and its influence would continue to spread. Lives would be lost. Their escort had very important names. Names they could use._

 _But it was a name that caused Boruto to get caught, here in the wee hours of the morning. A name plastered on a message meant for one of the ring's assassins: "The Hokage's Dog."_

 _He had an idea who that target was and he wasn't going to wait for his team to get back to the village to take care of the people who would of by then have had plenty of time to move on. No one on the team had seen the imperative nature to check_ _his lead out before finishing the current mission set before them. He did. So he had left on his own. And gotten himself caught. A stupid trap he wouldn't have triggered if he hadn't come alone. But he had._

 _These truths coming back to him through the thick fog he was floating in, he frowned under the gag. Something...There was something, another sound. Ticking like a heartbeat, but robotic to his ears._

 _A ticking sound. Right under his seat. Recognizing it, panic ebbed through him._

 _A bomb._

 _He groaned, twisting at his bonds that were keeping his hands apart so he could not form seals._ Come on, come on!

 _The voices continued. A woman, one who wanted their escort dead. She spoke with a sinister confidence that made his skin crawl. Making her little demands. And the sound of Konohamaru, trying to regain control. To come to a meeting ground. Kinda hard to when one of his members was the one captured. And she knew how to use her hostage._

 _"You Konoha people operate in three to four man teams," she said. "And the great Konohamaru has a team all to himself, making it four members. The fourth member is to show themselves, hands to the back of their heads or I push the button and the blond brat's brains will decorate this place."_

No, please don't do that.

 _He couldn't see his teacher, but he could practically imagine his facial expression as he called out for Sarada to show herself. So much for distraction. These people had done their research. Then again, Boruto only had the most friggin recognizable face around._

 _The entire mission, his life, was in utter jeopardy. And it was all his fault, but this was not the time to berate himself._

 _Footsteps. Sarada's. He could recognize them as she stomped reluctantly back to the group and its standoff. "Surrender him and we'll leave peacefully!" she hissed, anger filling the entire warehouse with its presence. Oh boy, she was ticked. Scared perhaps, but mostly ticked. The bomb was suddenly less threatening._

 _"Not until I have the traitor you're protecting's head."_

 _Konohamaru was clearly desperate under his forced calm tone. "We can't do that—please put it down."_

 _"Give me his head, or I'll give you your kid back in pieces."_

 _"You don't need to get your hands bloody..."_

 _There was a scoff-like laugh. Boruto's heart raced at the sound, his arms positively straining against the wire now. A panicked moan was the only thing that escaped._

 _"They plenty are already. And it seems you underestimate me. You'll need an example."_

 _Then she pushed the button just as he broke through his bonds._

_-xXx-_

He slammed his heel down, stomping their toes as he bashed his head back as hard as he could. Impact. Connecting with their chin, he ripped his hand from the impaling knife. Teeth gnashed together from the pain, but adrenaline kept him moving. He grabbed and swiped the blade at his attacker, only to be shoved forward, body crashing into the screens. A mess of sparks shot through the air.

He rolled away from the broken monitors, trying to escape from his disadvantaged position. To swing again, but he could only cry out as a boot stomped on his injured hand, the sensitive tissue of his hand stinging from the pressure.

Hissing, he grabbed at the ankle, pushing at it with all his might. Biting at their Achilles tendon. He was at an overwhelming position and they used this against him, coming down on him, fingers wrapping around this throat in one hand, and in the other there was a flash of silver, the flat blade swinging down on him in what would be a kill-shot.

He winced, eyes closing. There was no time!

 _"Shanoro_ _!"_

Suddenly the blade was thrown out of its trajectory with her shouted battle cry.

"Sarada!"

Like lightning she was bolting toward the figure, punching with all she had, all her chakra packed into powerful strikes. They flew, crashing into what was left of the desk. A bloodied blade flashed again as it flew from their hands. Screaming, she punched again before they could recover. Her fist shattered the mask from the impact. There was a scream, it didn't have time to finish before her fist came crashing down on its mouth.

The strike sent webs of cracks across the wall behind. From this crater, came a horrific choir of more cracking sounds . But they hadn't just come from the wall.

It was the sound of bone being crushed.

"You'd just kill for eyes, huh!?"

Boruto could only stand there, frozen rigidly as she punched away, relentlessly crushing the dead man's skull.

"Stop," he whispered breathlessly as something splatted to the side.

"My family!" she cried, bashing at the man again. "My friends!"

There was no longer a head, just a puddled mess of gore. Gore that was splattering on the wall and her.

"Sarada." He ran after her, grabbing her gory fist. "Stop!" It shook in his grasp, trembling forcibly, overcome by an angry grief. "He's dead already!"

She fell into him and began sobbing into his shirt. He could only sit there in a horrified daze, cradling her.

"He's gone Sarada," he whispered, fighting back a tremble. "It's done..."

"I couldn't lose you too," she cried. "Not again."

_-xXx-_

 _The remote button for the bomb was pushed, just as he broke through his bonds._

" _Substitution!_ "

 _Splintered wood flew through the air with explosive heat as a crate took his place. But the bomb was bigger than he thought. Boruto found himself thrown backward by the explosive force, the room around him catching fire, the walls collapsing. Burying him on one side, and his team on the on the other._

 _Debris and smoke filled his lungs. Wheezing, he tugged on his collar, using it to try to cover his mouth. He had to get out or he would suffocate! But the room was completely enclosed, the exit blocked by toppled crates that were burning wildly._

 _But he had dealt with worse. He pushed his chakra into his hands and threw everything he could at the crumbled rock entrapping him in the inferno. Each time he opened his mouth to call out a jutsu_ _, ash filled it but he continued to fight the fire, desperate to get out._

 _With one last push, he broke through, barely able to even see from all the smoke. Coughing, he fell forward and was caught by Mitsuki's outstretched hands._

 _"Ah! You're actually alive! Thank goodness you got out!"_

 _He was pulled from the heat and thrown back a long distance away. Mitsuki's ability to stretch his limbs still weirded him out a little but he had never been so grateful for it until now. He wheezed, getting to his knees. To the side he could make out his sensei, holding the body of an unconscious woman over his shoulder, her hands and ankles now tied._

 _Konohamaru glared at him. "You're in serious trouble, mister."_

 _"I know," he croaked. Man, that had been way too close a call. But everyone was safe, that was what mattered. But wait, something was missing._

 _"Where's Sarada?"_

 _"Over there."_

 _She was laid to the side, covered in ash and perspiration._

 _"She tried to rush after you," Mitsuki explained. "We thought you were a goner for sure. And she just...Well, that upset her a lot. She must have fainted, that or lost consciousness from being so close to the fire. She was hysterical."_

Boruto _felt something in him break as he looked down at her. It was not the explosion that hurt him._

 _It was the tears on her cheeks and knowing he had caused them. She had actually cried over him._

 _"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean to..."_

_-xXx-_

He had told her that it was over.

It wasn't though. The Anbu had attacked Boruto to protect someone else. To finish the job. Meaning there were more targets... And with the computers destroyed, there was no chance to study exactly what had happened to this place. And no chance of interrogating the Anbu member for the answers.

Boruto sighed and closed his eyes, dropping his chin over her head, fingers stroking her hair. Her bangs swooped down, covering her tear-stricken face. After a few minutes, the sniffles became less frequent and she quiet. Deciding to find her composure back, she tucked her bangs behind her ear. "Your hand."

"It's numb now."

"You still need to wrap that."

Before he could protest, she was ripping the end of her shirt and wrapping the fabric around his hand. It wasn't long enough to tie in a knot, though, so she held onto it, biting her lip, a weary look in her eyes. "I'm sorry..."

"It's my fault for not being cautious and tuned to my surroundings. You know me, always rushing in. Thinking I got it by myself but I just get myself in trouble instead. But that doesn't matter now. I'll be fine."

"Boruto, look at it. This is serious."

"It's fine."

"No, it's not," she growled. "Don't forget who my mom is. I've seen what injuries like this can do."

"What about your ponytail?" he asked, giving in and holding the cloth for her. "Can we use that?"

She looked at him puzzledly. "I..." She reached up, patting her hair. It was down and the cord nowhere in sight.

"Nevermind. There should be a tape dispenser on the desk. Use that."

Unfortunately, the scuffle had rendered the desk into pieces and its contents thrown about. While she looked around for the tape, he took another gander at the piece of cloth from before. It hadn't come from the Anbu who had attacked them. The member wore a dark gray cloak. It hadn't come from Sasuke either.

"Did you find Kabuto?" he asked offhand.

"Not exactly."

"Do I want to know what you mean by that?"

"Probably not. But I can tell one thing. He's not on their side."

So, he was a victim too.

He put the cloth away, leaning his sore head against the wall.

"The Anbu are obviously in on this. But I think they're following orders from a head. I feel like that's who this fabric came from...I mean, we're talking about a guy who took out both the Byakugan and the Sharingan...Possibly. This scrap would have come from their cloak and the white chip from a mask. But why would they do something like this all of a sudden? Was it really to harvest the Sharingan? Why my family as well? It has to be a coup. But who'd be dumb enough to start one?"

"Perhaps goons of Danzo are still around after all," she answered from across the room, half hidden by the broken wood from the desk.

"Danzo? Who's that?"

"Geez, Bo. He doesn't tell anything about the skeletons in the closet, does he?"

He laughed bitterly. "Care to give me another history lesson?"

_-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-_

 _She had her arms around him so tight he was amazed she didn't break his ribcage. "Don't you ever do that again!"_

 _"I won't," he said, eyes widened in surprise._

 _She was actually hugging him. True she was red in the face with anger but she was hugging him._

 _"I mean I only just about wet myself..." he laughed nervously._

 _"Just about" was being generous._

 _Giving pause to his situation, Boruto dared to let his hand wander around her waist, holding it._

 _She stiffened before pulling back from him. He was about to comment but was stopped at the sight of her pressing her hand to her eyes._

 _"Hey, you okay?"_

 _"Yeah. You just give me headaches."_

 _It was a little after she had regained consciousness, practically right after it as the team continued to get itself situated. They were in the center of the city now, and she had seemed fine right after but..._

 _His smile died as a sickly expression came over her. Concerned, he reached for her forehead. "Sarada! You're hot!"_

 _There was a pained moaned before she fell backward, collapsing in his arms. Konohamaru rushed toward the two, noticing her spell._

 _"What's wrong?" he exclaimed._

 _"I don't know," Boruto_ _cried. "But she's burning up!"_

* * *

 _At the nearest hospital, Boruto met with a pacing sensei. Konohamaru assured him that Sarada was fine, it had just been stress...But that was not was vexing him. Or rather, who._

 _"Your dad's gonna seriously kill me!" he exclaimed, collapsing into the waiting room chair. He leaned forward, pressing his face into his hands. "When he finds out about earlier..."_ Boruto _rolled his eyes and sat in the chair beside him. Sarada would be with them in only a few minutes. Mitsuki was buying them drinks at the vending machine._

 _"I seriously thought I was going to lose you," the man moaned. "And he's totally going to tear me apart for endangering his son."_

 _His father and Konohamaru had long been friends and went way back. Boruto suspected that's why he, the daughter of Naruto's best friend, and the mysterious but full-of-strange-potential Mitsuki had been assigned to the tutelage of the Third's grandson. By all expectations it had been the idea team. Or it was_ _when Boruto_ _didn't step out of line like he occasionally had the habit of doing. He just couldn't help himself sometimes._

 _Boruto scoffed. "It was my doing. You had nothing to do with it."_

 _"I'm still this team's leader! I'm responsibl—"_

 _"And I disobeyed, I'll admit that," he protested. "I went out on my own after you explicitly said to not to and I screwed up, okay? I just...I just thought there was a connection to Sasuke and I wanted to check it out. It was stupid. I'll accept the consequences of my actions."_

 _"Ugh," the man said, fingers wrenching his scarf. "That's not gonna cool his temper, though. He may be busy a lot but he cares the world for you and when someone screws with his love ones, they're gonna be dancing with the power of a demon. I mean you know how powerful he is when he's syncing with Kurama..."_

 _Brushing the sentimental comment to the side, Boruto_ _smiled. The grin mischievous. "Actually, I don't even see why even has to find out. All that's important is that we not only got the escort to safety but one of the dealers captured. Pretty good, huh? We gotta get extra points for that. He doesn't have to know anything else."_

 _Konohamaru sighed, shaking his head. "We'll talk about this later. For now_ , _I want to get out of here as fast as possible. We're taking the train."_

 _"Shouldn't we save Ryo and just walk—"_

 _"Train," was the man's exasperated answer._

_-xXx-_

 _On train_ _the time it took to get back home would be cut in half. They'd get there by the afternoon. He was exhausted and had planned to sleep through it. But stepping onto the cart, found his bicep seized in a harsh grip. She ushered him to the back and from there, hadn't let him out of her sight._

 _He had never seen her this ridiculously clingy before. Or angry. She sat across him, arms crossed, scowling. Her glasses flashed with the rising sun's light._

 _But yet he sensed a little something more too_ _..._

 _He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "You know...I scared everyone earlier, but they aren't being overprotective like you are."_

 _She puffed her cheeks. "And?"_

 _"I think there's a reason for that. Isn't there?"_

 _She glanced down. Sensing he had hit the nail, he leaned forward. "Sarada...Can we just cut the crap? We've been teammates for a while now. Konohamaru. Mitsuki. But with us, me, and you..."_

 _Her cheeks warmed to a pink. "Boruto_ _, I—"_

 _"The truth is that you see me as more than just a teammate. More than just a friend." He stared at the floor as he followed up the silence with his confession. "I know I do. And I have for awhile now."_

 _She didn't say anything, but her clutch on the armrest tightened noticeably._

 _"There's just something about saying it that's just...I dunno, you just don't. But today I almost lost that chance. You did too. Perhaps that's why instead of relief, you feel so angry with me. Tell me I'm wrong."_

 _She struggled with her words and as the train passed under a tunnel, dimming the car, he inched closer to her._

 _"We really just gonna sit around and ignore continue to act otherwise? What if there isn't a tomorrow?"_

 _"Bo..."_

 _Light flashed from the window before being consumed by the dark tunnel._

 _His fingers inexplicably wandered to her face. She equally inexplicably didn't push them away. Their eyes locked as he leaned closer to her, and after a blur of heat and the clatter of the tracks, he felt himself take the dive and kissed her. And a dizzying moment later, she kissed him back, arms slowly wrapping themselves around him._

 _There were no more words, just motion, rushing them on as they kissed. Maybe there should have been. Maybe they were being young and reckless. But neither cared._

 _The train barreled on._

_-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-_

They couldn't rest in the security room forever. Knowing this, Boruto shifted, half-asleep. They were both huddled together in the room, the door barricaded.

"We need to go," he said quietly.

Her head was resting on his shoulder, her hands wrapped around his injured hand, both holding it out of personal need, and medical, keeping pressure on it.

"Where? Everywhere we go, they've been to. They killed our parents...They're on a whole different level, one we can't match in this condition."

"We've dealt and handled non-humans before, we can handle this..."

She laughed darkly. "Can we? Look at our moms. Your sister. We don't even know who the enemy is."

"We know enough." He sat up, ignoring the throbbing that came with the motion. Something in his ribcage felt loose. "And there's gonna be more of them if that guy who attacked me is with the Anbu."

Her hold on him tightened as she scooted up. "Boruto, think about it! They gouged out all of the Shin clones' eyes—It's just so sick!"

"I know it is."

"If they took their eyes...Then they're going to come after me next." She had said it through gritted teeth, her eyes squeezed shut, the skin between her eyebrows bunched up. "And my dad...I can handle the Anbu, but my dad? I don't even think your dad could. And no one beats him. Bo...They're going to kill me next."

He had never seen her so scared. Neither of them were ready for this or had asked for it to be pushed on them. But they couldn't afford to throw the towel in without even trying. "They won't get you," he growled. "I won't let the Anbu, your dad, or anyone else touch you or your eyes. I swear that on my life."

It was this declaration that she scooted from him, a forlorn look on her face. "You can still get out of this, get out of the village and go to the Kazekage, or someone else who can help, But you have to leave now. And you have to leave me behind...I'll buy you time."

The implication stung.

"No. There's no time to get outside help like that. Our only chance is to take care of it ourselves. We stay together, and we get out of this alive. Find the head, take it out and destroy every single one of the eyes they took so they can't be used against the village. We're the only ones who can. The only ones we know we can trust."

She smiled grimly. "There's going to be no talking you out of it, is there?"

"No."

"Boruto Uzumaki," she whispered. "I'm going to be the death of you."

_-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-_

Boruto wouldn't tell her this but he suspected that the mask of the Anbu she crushed into pieces could have been a clue. According to her, there was the Anbu, which as the son of the Hokage he had grown familiar with, and then the Anbu Roots who had once operated under Danzo, who her father had killed in the past. Thought to be extinct. Could they be resurging back?

Naruto's words again rang in his mind. _We need to call for help. Not the Anbu yet, just Sakura._

Having seen the sword wound, had his father suspected them from the start? Or just had he just been naturally cautious because of how little they knew? It could have just been the latter. There really was no telling.

Especially with the mask in crumbs. He glanced to Sarada's red-smeared fist with a grim sense of awe. She was powerful. But that power had come at a price. Her chakra was near exhausted. Oddly enough, it hadn't been so high in the first place, but he could just chalk that up to being because the mission they had so shortly come back from. Then there was his dominant hand, which was useless. They both knew this, it didn't help urge them to be in any hurry to walk into another fight.

And if the masterminds behind the assaults had gone after not only the Hokage but the Sharingan as well...Like she had guessed, she was the next prime target. He got angry just at the thought. The thought that there were people out there so power-hungry that they would tear the sight from a fellow human being, rendering them blind and powerless in the shinobi world. They had in the past, and they had today, and it made him sick to his stomach.

The image of the Shin clones, lifeless and void of their eyes...

"We move now," he said. They were going to come for them anyway, so they might as well get to them first. With this resolution, they left their temporary sanctuary.

Yes, they were seriously doing this and there was no going back.


	4. absolution

_Remember the warning I gave last update? About this exploding? Well it's going to. And it drops, very purposefully. So read on, knowing that._

* * *

 **IT'S THE FEAR**

 **absolution**

* * *

It was near pitch by the time they left the orphanage. Almost unnaturally so. The moon was visible from the clouds but its light did little to reach the shadowy path they found themselves or to ease the creeping tension forming in Boruto's gut. Tiptoeing through the dark forest, he held his breath, tensing at the slightest noise from the foliage around them. Every drip from the leaves, every snap.

Sarada turned her flashlight off, not wanting it to alert anyone of their presence. Goodness knows it was dark enough that the beam could attract attention from far away. "I don't like this. Anyone could be hiding around still."

"But that doesn't mean that we have to be caught off guard again." He raised his left hand and began to form his seal with it. He wasn't particularly good with using only one hand, let alone his left one, but it was still a skill he was learning that he should definitely have, even if it felt awkward to his fingers.

 _Extend pointer and middle, bend ring halfway down beside it perfectly..._ Here it began feeling awkward, but he forced himself to keep the finger bent beside the two perfectly as he tucked his pinky. Keeping the gesture maintained, he dug for his chakra, pushing it out with all his focus. _Hope this works..._

" _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!"

Multiple versions of himself appeared and he breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't pay too close condition of the state they were in, it was the equivalent to looking in a mirror and he could only imagine how disturbing the other side was right now.

"Scout ahead," he told them. "See if you find anyone. Try to find Kakashi, he knows more about the Anbu and Sharingan than I do. Him or anyone else my father would trust. Meet up with us. But keep an eye out for anyone who poses a threat."

Nodding, the doppelgangers soon flickered out of their sight.

Sarada stirred, worry in her voice. "Kakashi's retired..."

"Not anymore."

He walked ahead, pushing branches to the side. They were almost back to the village and the trees soon decreased in amount. Their footsteps hardened as they stepped not on moist soil but asphalt. They were back.

"Boruto..."

"What?"

"Look at the mountain."

He glanced and at first didn't understand her worry but after a moment, it dawned on him. It was utterly dark. From the towers above to the humble structures below. "Those monsters took out the electricity _everywhere_."

"It could have been the storm."

"Wouldn't it have gotten fixed by now?"

"Not with attackers on the prowl."

Boruto swallowed, his fingers curling into a fist as they continued through the deathly quiet village. "They're going to pay for tonight."

"Not if we get killed, which we will we don't prepare ourselves. It was being caught off guard that aided them against those they've killed till now. Come on. Let's get to Tenten's store and stock up on weapons. I don't think she'll mind."

That was actually a good idea. Having been on R&R before, they hadn't been exactly fully equipped when this mess had begun.

As Sarada suggested, they came to her shop and found it obviously empty.

"Sorry for this," Sarada whispered, bringing out one of her kunai. She placed it on the glass and began scratching a wide circle onto its surface. The glass screeched and Boruto grimaced, tensing. "Shhhhhh!"

"It makes less noise than breaking it. Besides, nothing we have could take out the locks she's got on her doors."

A round circle scored onto the pane, Sarada placed her hands in it and gave a firm push. "Just a bit of pressure and..."

Cracks sounded, splitting into different directions but dominantly affected the glass around her score. The shape she had cut fell back but Sarada caught it before it could hit the floor and shatter. "There." Nimbly, she climbed through the hole she had made, setting the broken piece to the ground. Boruto followed after her, turning on his flashlight once they were inside and a bit more secure.

They walked around the shop, taking note of Tenten's supply. Each tool was lovingly labeled with care and organized properly by its type and surrounded by its proper accessories. Cleaners and containers shimmered. They were the woman's passion and it showed by how much care she took of them even in times of peace.

But no longer were these times of peace.

Boruto came to some smoke bombs that were crafted to have extra punch. He grabbed them by the handfuls and was just about to take a sealing scroll when a small sniffle sounded. He glanced to see Sarada standing in front of a sword display. She sniffed again, rubbing her nose.

Sword.

The weapon that had killed their families. The weapon her father, his sensei, wielded. How do you digest that properly? You just couldn't. Not yet. Not when more were out there. And as long as they were, they couldn't think about it now. Had to keep going.

"Hey Sarada," he said. She came to him, expression blank. Of course she would put up a calm front, act all perfect. "Yes?"

"I think these will come in handy. Got a bag?"

"Yeah. Here."

His hand briefly brushed against hers, he wanted to embrace it but she shook her head.

"I'm fine and now's not the time."

They quickly finished arming themselves before leaving as they came. Where to exactly, he wasn't sure. Not until Sarada made the next suggestion. As always, she was the reliable brains and strategist. They were standing between two tall buildings, gathering themselves in the silent alleyway. Glancing around cautiously she said "Weapons aren't going to be enough. We're going to need to get you the Kote."

His fingers tightened on his holster, midway through fastening it. His lips turned downward. "You mean the tech I tried to use during the exams?"

Just the word "exams" triggered flashbacks to that day and night. The look of disappointment on his father's face, the desperation when he thought he was dead...Boruto's hand wrapped around his right forearm.

"Sarada, I...I don't need it. I can still use jutsu."

"Not like this," she purred, taking his hand. She had taken a first aid kit from Tenten's shop as well and began to untie the fabric from his wound. "It's went straight through. Severed tendons...Until we find a medic like my mom..." She began wrapping a bandage linen around his hand, her grasp gentle and soft.

"Your dad's done well with just one hand."

Her expression grew sour and she tied off the wrapping more tightly than needed.

Probably not the time to bring Sasuke up again.

"Fine," he said. "The Science Division is near the Hokage's tower anyway. If the traitors will gather anywhere, it's there with the current Hokage down. We surprise them before they can make their next move, and win."

"But we can't let them catch us, we have to have the element of surprise or you can forget it. That and help. We must find help, because these are forces much bigger than ourselves...Perhaps Ibiki as well. He lives near the prison..."

"Right."

"Boruto..."

"What?"

Her head was pointed downward and she fiddled with her glasses. "I'm an Uchiha...But I'm...I'm not just that. I'm not like my dad once was. I don't want the village to suffer for the past..."

"I know."

"I'm my mother's daughter."

"Sarada," he said, brushing his hand over hers, cupping her face. His fingers nudged at her glasses, straightening them for her.

"I don't care what your bloodline is, all that matters is you're here now, and not on the other side."

"Still...all this for the Sharingan—"

"I just said I didn't care, alright? Now let's get unless you wanna be a sitting duck."

Finally, she smiled, leaning against him slightly. "You look like a duck. One of those yellow toys, anyone tell you that before?"

He rolled his eyes. "Nope, so thanks for being the first."

_-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-_

To avoid detection they took to the roofs and back alleys, speeding ahead in the shadows with a sharp eye for any Anbu members. None so far, but they couldn't afford to let their guard down. As they snuck onward, different theories were passed. The most likely being that Orochimaru, who had always shown in interest in the Sharingan, was trying to take over the village in a more subtly eerie way, or that Sasuke was the instigator and had hypnotized the Hokage's men. The third theory's was Sarada's: Danzo in some form or another had come back to finish his job, even after all these years.

Boruto would have pushed that theory to the side but thinking about all the things Sarada told him about the massacre and their past, he could only consider it. The Uchiha just had one messed up history. As did the village, apparently.

It was as if the scourge of the Uchiha and the light of the village was relentlessly bound to each other, right down to the DNA. But the chains were supposed to have been broken. Those days were done and gone.

"Danzo had Itachi kill them, then he took their eyes, implanted them into his arms," she had said. "He ordered the execution of my father too, and for good reason. He was a rogue. And a threat. But mostly, he knew his dirty little secrets."

Danzo was a man with good intentions but very dark ways. Ways that had seen him dance with the devil, Orochimaru, who had at one point in time killed the third Hokage who had been like a grandpa to his otherwise family-less dad. The future that man would have brought had he stayed frightened him, and it frightened her.

Even now, she was a ghostly pale shade. She would deny it verbally but she couldn't hide it. She was next. She was the seed of Sasuke, and wielder of inherited Sharingan.

 _Kwish._

Hearing noise, they dashed for a bush and hid in the foliage, watching. Boruto found himself staring at her. Her shoulders were squared in intense focus, her fists humming with chakra. Like him, she was covered in blood. But not any of hers.

Sarada scanning the area with her Sharingan gave him a thumbs up.

"We're good. Have your clones found anyone yet?"

"No."

The village looked like a ghost town, even for it being nighttime. It almost took him back to the time of the Chunin Exams all those years ago. How just two alien beings ripped his world apart. He could still hear their cackle, see those white faces, the lips pulled back in a cruel gleaming smile. Could still hear the electricity, the gush of the elements, all under their godly control.

And the overwhelming feeling of helplessness he had felt then.

If he wasn't too careful with his thoughts, he could feel it now again. Threatening to overcome him.

 _What if it's not Orochimaru or Danzo, or even rogue Anbu...Or another human entirely, what if it's another one of those freaks?!_

He did not say this out loud, afraid it would kill any fight in Sarada. It was a night that made her buckle to her knees, terrified. He'd barely kept standing himself.

He had defeated them, but not without help from the other Kage, his father, her father. And inexplicably, no one was around to help them now.

The Hokage's fate was unknown but suspiciously eminent, and his top agent and even his own men, all AWOL. Boruto knew his father had men check up on him occasionally. Or a clone. But he hadn't sensed one of the either since this mess had begun. Didn't sense _anyone_ else.

"They should have found someone by now, _we_ should have," he whispered. "Do you think they got to everyone while we were resting? Or maybe they were evacuated by Shikamaru or something?"

"I don't know."

"I mean none of my clones have found _anything_..."

"Again," she whispered back. "I. Don't. Know. Statistically, we should have found at least one person outside the crime scenes, but we haven't. What we have here is an anomaly, a paradox."

She had her hand pressed to her forehead, rubbing it. Boruto bit his lip. They were nearing the center of the village, and if something else went down, it would be here, in the core.

"Let's leave for now, we shouldn't just go by ourselves, we need back—Wait!" Boruto came to a sudden halt, his hair standing on end.

"What is it?!"

His clones. All of them!

"AMBUSH!"

His cry came too late. Sheer numbers of masked figures surrounded them. There hadn't been any signs, no time to think or brace themselves. Boruto's knees threatened to buckle from the sheer overwhelming suddenness. How was it even possible they had not sensed the enemy? It was utterly unreal!

They surrounded them from all sides, waiting for no doubt the command from what looked like the leader in the center back. He was garbed in a dark hood that hid his face. Boruto catching sight of him narrowed his eyes. The footage. This man could be the one who had taken down the orphanage and Kabuto himself, with the aid of only one or a few Anbu members.

"What's the meaning of this?" he exclaimed, getting into an offensive stance. Sarada did the same, covering his back. But then again, these were supposed to be his father's men. Maybe they were here to aid them, if only they knew they were safe to yet.

No answer was given, just a lifted hand.

"ANSWER ME!"

The fingers bent, signal flicking. Weapons were raised. Not to aid them, no, _at_ them.

"As the Hokage's son, I order you to stand down! NOW!"

The hand waved.

The Anbu rushed and the battle began. Attacks and jutsu of all caliber were thrown at them, particularly Sarada, but she barreled through most of it, holding her ground with just her fists. A bulking hulk leaped at her and she met them full on. The earth trembled as though rattled by an earthquake.

"Careful," he shouted, ducking under a spear. "Conserve what's left of your chakra! Keep it balanced!"

With a broken shout, she charged forward, zipping out shuriken. A breath of air and they became lighted with flames. The heat blazed through the air powerfully like a wild brush fire.

 _Dang it, didn't she hear me?!_

But he couldn't worry about her at the moment, a man with pretty sick control of his chakra attacked him with explosive orbs. He dashed back, forming the seal for his jutsu. A horde of himself formed and he almost instantly felt the drain on him. It also didn't help that all the forms bore the same injuries he did, the right hand severely cut.

Crap.

His jutsu took longer to from because of it. But when did he give up? Lip curling he charged once more, entering the fray. Numbers were taken down drastically. Almost too easily...until all that stood before him was the hooded one, flames encircling them together. Boruto neared him, glaring with all the malice he could emit.

"It's over!" he shouted. "Your men are down and you're all that's left."

Actually, he doubted they had even put a dent into their real numbers. But as of right here, this moment, the group that had attacked them was left to one, the murderer from the orphanage. The one who's style fit the attacks on the Uzumaki household as well.

The hooded shadow took a step closer, the katana in his hand glinting in the moonlight.

"You're going down too! And if you think this village, even its Hokage after what you did, is gonna grant you any mercy or clemency, you gotta 'nother thing coming! Now tell me who you are!"

The hood tilted, its smirk hidden in its shadow.

Pure malice seethed in the air, sapping it. Choking it. Boruto took a step back, eyebrows drew down. Something was...

Sarada.

He jerked around, panic filling him.

What he saw was only darkness. Debris fluttered in the wind, tree branches waving mournfully. On the crater-marred ground was a single pair of glasses. Red. Her's.

"Sarada! No!"

He snapped his head back, prepared to lunge at the hooded criminal. "Give her—"

Nothing. Just the shadows. So they were hiding then. Going to take him down unawares. Not on his watch. He braced himself, hand held out, chakra flaring inside.

Minutes passed and nothing happened. Nothing stirred, not even the wind.

Easing his tense shoulders just a bit, he risked going back, to pick up Sarada's glasses. Without them, or her sharingan, her world would be a blurry mess.

They had her, but if he rushed ahead recklessly, he wouldn't be good to anyone, especially not her. But at the same time, he'd be damned if he left her to the darkness alone.

All this time. It was the shadows. The Uchiha. He hadn't noticed until recently but there was a darkness she was afraid of. He couldn't let her go down into that world. That dark history. He could not allow that to dictate her fate.

But he had to find her first.

"Anbu..." he muttered. "And sensei..."

If the Anbu were his father's men, he knew their quarters. But if they were Root, which he could not for the life of him recall the designs of the mask he'd just fought...

Wait a minute. There should be bodies. But as he looked around, it was as if they had disappeared completely, without a trace...He was almost surprised. Until he remembered that the corpse of an Anbu member was destined to be destroyed immediately after death to avoid secretes from being gathered.

But that still didn't explain why he all of a sudden only saw blank masks when he tried to picture them. Were they blank? Root members?

He had no sense of where to go anymore, not without Sarada...

Boruto clutched at his stomach, face twisting into what was the beginning of a frustrated cry.

He felt unbelievably lost. To the point he just wanted to cry out for his father. Boruto may have confidence in his own abilities but he couldn't match the sensory prowess or powers of a Bijuu. Or a sage.

But there was a speckle of a chance that the Hokage wasn't even alive. Why did he have to let him go!? Don't look back, he had said. Don't look back.

Boruto's fists tightened. He wasn't going to lose her as well. No way.

"No one else!" he cried. "No one else!"

He couldn't just cower now, only find them again and take her back before things were done that could never be undone.

It came on him like a shockwave. The calm before the next storm shattered. It lashed at him from all sides, that katana. He fell backward, raising his arms. Nicks slashed across it, flesh tearing.

"Augh!"

He barely managed to throw a smoke bomb. A gritty cloud dispersed, covering him for just a moment, long enough to regain his footing. He hadn't even seen the guy, it was as if he blended perfectly with the night itself.

"Come on," he hissed, fingers forming the proper seals. Like a countdown, the smoke cleared and the second it did, he moved.

" _Raiton: Shiden!_ "

Violent electricity crackled, piercing the air...And went straight through the man. The figure spasmed, gasping, body frying from the electricity, the smell putrid. He fell to the ground with a pathetic plop. Dead.

Boruto shuddered, backing away. He did it. He actually did it.

There was no satisfaction like he would have figured there would be. No joy to be had. Just a grim sense of responsibility.

The kid killer was dead.

It was too soon to celebrate. He had to find Sarada.

He turned to leave when a noise sounded, a rustling of fabric, of movement.

Behind him.

He breathed and the air misted coldly. A single shiver ran down his spin and he turned around, teeth barred.

"WHAT?!"

A foot connected harshly with to his chest sending him flying back. He scrambled up, backing away.

"Just what are you?!"

Again the figure gave no answer, no voice. Just a threatening presence from its hooded form. Poisonous.

"You're...like—no, _impossible._ "

It was as if they were a ghost. From the past? No. His head hurt. His entire body hurt. He was covered in hot blood and felt sick. He was just suddenly done. No. Not yet. Not until it was over could he be.

In the hooded man's hand, glass glistened, catching his eye. A vial, on it the Uchiha crest. Bile rose in his throat.

He wiped his chin, making his declaration. "You wanna take her sharingan, you're gonna have to go through me."

It charged, the motion representing his answer: _So be it._

He took the dive as well, his Rasengan spiraling in his hand, their bodies collided, and it was only then that he realized that it wasn't a fist that had rammed his gut.

The taste of blood filled his mouth, pooling out of it.

Their hand was pressed to him, but it was not just a simple fist. The gloved fingers were curled around a hilt, the hilt of a sword.

He coughed, sight flickering, insides screaming, his back arching as hot liquid slid down it. And he screamed, the sound breaking before it even got out.

He slid backward, blade exiting his body, forcing him to hold back another scream. Morbid panic filled him. He buckled to the ground, hand pressed to the wound. Vital spot. He had seconds.

He rolled over, fighting to keep his breathing going and even. Focus on anything but...

Nope. This was it. He could feel it...Scraping across his insides like a fine toothed comb.

Yet as he laid there in overwhelming pain, dying...

He did not die.

He blinked, blood still pooling from him. Yet he was still conscious.

He should be dead right now. There was no way he was still alive. This went past tales of miraculous strength and adrenaline in dire need. No. This was utterly unnatural.

Yet here he was. So he moved. Groaning in pain, he kicked weakly at the figure. They simply stepped to the side and continued to gleam over him cruelly. The world behind them, all around, darkened and gave way to a red sky.

What was...

"Holy crap," he whispered, the sound broken.

Now things were starting to make more sense. The village looking like a ghost town. The simple truths that this hooded figure was practically invincible. The power, the helplessness, it really was reminiscent of the incident at the Chunin Exams. No. The very fabric of the past itself, meshed together in a violent tapestry.

"This is just genjutsu."

But how much of it was?

Shadows emerged from the ground like dark tendrils, further shattering the delusional reality. Surrounding him.

"Seriously..." he croaked, unable to hold back tears as the pain intensified in his body. "All of this is just one huge mind-rape?!"

But since when? How much? And who the heck was the caster?! Even if it was genjutsu, he was at his enemy's mercy and there was no telling what they were doing outside with not only him trapped but the Hokage...

His only chance of making it out was to figure out who the caster was but he wasn't being granted more time to even spare thoughts as the shadowy tendrils sprang up, the concrete below his body shattering like a broken window.

"No!"

They wrapped around his limbs and he twisted violently.

Crap. This wasn't even a plane you could fight on anymore. It was a realm of impossibilities, paradoxes, and torture. The ghost crept closer to him, sword pointing at his chest.

He lashed against the shadows even harder. _No. No. No! Please don't!_

There was nothing he could do to stop the assault than twist around, trying to dodge the sword attacking him. Ripping him to pieces and he let out the scream building up. The pain was all-too real. All too horrendously devastating, each stab excruciating.

Kami. He couldn't take it anymore.

He didn't know how he wasn't out of it.

But no. He wasn't dead, and he wouldn't be if he had anything to say about it. He yanked hard, his hand forming seals again, without the support of the other. He wasn't the average ninja, and he didn't need to act like one anymore. He was the student of a prodigy and a prodigy himself. This guy had tried crippling him but it wasn't going to work. Howling, he pulled for his chakra, screaming " _Chidori Stream!_ "

The Lightning Style zipped around him, forcing the figure to jump back, and ignited the dark tendrils entrapping him. He twisted hard, pulling free.

He dropped down into blackness, the color oozing around him to the point it was palpable. Started running. Didn't make it far. A tendril lashed out, wrapping around his ankle. He tripped. Fallen, it started dragging him back towards the dark shadowy figure.

NO!

His fingers dug into the ground, leaving bloody marks as it pulled him back.

He kicked, and something slashed at his calf, reaching and exposing bone. Slit through the air, striking the side of his face.

He screamed.

The plane shattered once again, he landed on concrete, feeling in pieces. Bleeding out. He tried to crawl away but collapsed from the pain. His muscles wouldn't listen anymore. They were going numb.

No escape. No chance.

It was over. They won.

No. He had to find her. Find the castor. Escape. _Come on. Get up, get up!_

It was pure willpower driving him. The need to reach her...He fumbled down, hands scraping against the course concrete. The taste of rust filled his mouth and he threw blood up.

"Ugh..."

He could not stop the tears. _I can't do this... I can't...It's impossible._

Behind he could sense that person, the ghostly figure shuffling towards him like the walking dead.

He attempted to scoot his body forward, but even that ability alluded him.

He let out a pained breath before his forehead collapsed to the ground. A sword made a _shing_ sound. This was it. He was going to die. No. They'd torture him to the point of lobotomy first.

 _I can't..._

He could not stop the dreadful suspense, from wondering about the pain he'd be forced to endure. They could torture him far past human's capability to survive and he still wouldn't die. Not at first. When he was released he could very well die from the stress.

It didn't matter if it was just in his mind, his senses but not the whole. He and everyone else was still bound by the head. Who knew what kind of havoc was being sewn out in the real world with the Hokage just as useless.

He cried out helplessly. _I can't. I can't do this! I'm so sorry but I just can't do this! It's over!_

 _Sarada..._

 _Sarada._

The grip on her glasses tightened.

He couldn't just curl up like a pansy and accept his fate, no matter how hurt he felt.

It. Wasn't. Real.

He pushed himself off the ground, his limbs shaking, the slashes pulsing blood. He gnashed his teeth. It wasn't real. The pain was just in his head.

Fighting back a scream, he made it to his feet, his insides raw and on the verge of tearing themselves apart.

 _Again, it's not real._ His bright blue eyes shimmered, constricting in focus in the warped night air, reflecting his enemy.

They came at him fast, he leaped to the side swinging his hand back as he did, with all he had. Pushed the kunai into the mirage's back, screaming as he collapsed. He shoved the Rasengan into his flesh next. Shredding fabric, skin, and meat.

They spasmed before what was left of them crept from lifeless eyelids.

There. He breathed, numbed. Dead.

But they weren't alone, there were hundreds more. Hovering over the edge, as ever-present as shadow.

No, they grew. Their shapes writhing, and twisting. The trees twisted into cold bars.

He was now standing in a long passageway, its walls dark and gritty. Brick. A prison. It was dank, and there was no sign of a window or proper exit in sight. Sighing, he slid down the wall and collapsed to the concrete below him, holding his hand to the stab wound on his torso. Kami, the hallway ended in darkness, looking endless.

The only way he would get of this with his sanity in tact was if he found the caster. Overcame them.

But who? His mind raced just trying to conceive who could have ensnared him and when...

Sasuke came to mind. Or perhaps the Shin clones' eyes had been harvested and used against him long before they even realized what had happened.

He rubbed his hands on his jacket, pondering. And then it hit him. His jacket.

"Kami," he whispered breathlessly. He knew exactly who it was.

For confirmation he crawled to the unconscious figure and flipped the murderer's hood. Seeing the face, he blinked, lips parted slightly as his thoughts raced. He stood, hand tracing over the course brick. He had seen this place before.

"Just as I suspected."

He began running.

But still burned in his retinas was the face that had gleamed at him from under its hood.

It was blank.

* * *

 _Answers next time with the final chapter. Now let me repeat myself: the ending was already written before the first chapter was even posted. IT'S WAS WRITTEN BEFORE I SPLIT THIS STORY UP AND POSTED IT. IT WAS SET IN STONE. THAT STONE IS THE CORE OF EVERYTHING._

 _It's there, trust me. I just hope it isn't too obvious...I mean when it came to me, I thought it was good enough to keep trying to write this, even with my muses at an alltime low. The execution itself is a different matter and I hope I have and_ will _pull it off._


	5. inception

_This ending was there the entire time. You just (hopefully) weren't focused on it._

* * *

 **IT'S THE FEAR**

 **inception**

* * *

The prison walls soon gave way to long passages. Dark in hue and light. From it, he felt apprehension, that he was being watched. And he was. They passed in the shadow like ghosts. Sprites that were barely visible, only enough so to be recognizable. But they did him no harm. He wasn't the guilty one in their eyes. Or original purpose. Wearily, Boruto continued on until he had reached the end.

This end began outside the Hokage Residence.

It was where everything began. Right in the place he hated the most. The Hokage's office.

She was curled into a ball atop the desk, head buried in her knees. Bodies of rogue Anbu members surrounding the desk in piles. Some their necks had been snapped and all seemed to have been beaten black and blue.

Boruto's eyes widened. He knew now without a doubt who had trapped them in this nightmare.

"It's you," he whispered.

Red eyes peeked out from over her arms.

"What?"

Only earlier, he should have seen it!

' _Do you think that there's really a curse in my family?'_

How serious she had been. How she attempted to push him away even though part of her couldn't do it. The part that saw him as more than a teammate. While her fears roared, that part of her clung desperately...

And to think, he had almost let her go for just one moment, right when he had accepted defeat. But no, he came through and he was going to make sure she did too.

"You. This is all a genjutsu. And you're the caster."

"What are you saying?" She was shaking. "A g-genjutsu? That can't be."

"Look at me Sarada. When did I put my jacket back on? When did you let your hair down again? We never did. I never did, I was so embarrassed when we got caught making out that I just left the office right away and forgot to put it back on. Yet here it is on me somehow...When it should be the desk."

She shook her head, brow furrowing. "Look at you. You're going to die soon, aren't you?" Her voice was on the verge of breaking. "Just like everyone else."

"No, I'm not. Our families are still alive! Everything that happened after the office never did, it's all been from your sharingan."

"But how—"

"When you looked at me, then you looked at my dad, right in the eyes!"

He could still picture her earlier, how she had stared out into the shadows before they had kissed again. How she kept fighting something back.

"Deactivate your sharingan."

"I can't," she whispered, hands burying them.

"I knew it, you can't do it because you're the caster of this genjustu. You have to release us from it first."

"No..."

"It's the only thing that makes sense. All this death...It's only mirrored event from the past. The Uchiha Massacre, Root activities...You've been studying into your clan's past and now your deep rooted fears are manifesting themselves like your very own personal nightmare. All of what's happened...They're your own projections. Your fears."

"No."

"Listen, I screwed up and it scared you to death, and when you thought I was dead your sharingan evolved. And you're afraid of it, you're afraid that history is going to repeat itself, that the people you care about will die because of the so-called Uchiha Curse."

The sight of her fainting after their mission burned through him. It wasn't from him or stress. Her optic nerves had evolved and he could only imagine the pain she had gone through, only doubled by the knowledge that the development had come from watching her friend supposedly die.

And tonight, how she kept rubbing her forehead, her lowered chakra, her constant anguish...It was literally right beside him this entire time.

He pushed his way through the bodies until he was right on the desk. It felt as if it was a wooden boat, and surrounded by a sea of red, but he ignored the threatening waves and held her glasses out to her, but she still would not uncover her eyes.

"Honey, you've gotta trust me. This isn't real, it's just your fears, your fears being projected as a genjutsu."

"How can it be me?!" she screamed. "And even if it was, how could you know that this is just an illusion? You could be delusional from blood loss!" She winced at her own words and cried further, "You look awful, and they hurt you all for the Uchiha power. It warped them just as it did my clan. I told you, didn't I? We're cursed. These eyes...They were better left buried in time."

"You're wrong Sarada, about that and everything else. It's not death that Uchiha powers thrive, it's from the utter need to protect the people you care about. That's where you get your gifts. Not through death, but such a strong love that it becomes more to protect others."

She sniffled helplessly as he tried to coax her with a reassuring tone. He wrapped his arms around her. "And I swear that no matter what, I'll never leave you. Trust me, none of this could possibly be real. Your mom, your dad, my dad, me, none of us would have allowed any of this to happen. This isn't like the past anymore. You _know_ this!"

"But it is," she said.

"You're supposed to be the reasonable one. Smart. You can't do this to yourself." He grabbed hold of her wrists, pulling them down. He slid her glasses into her hand. "You've got to stop. None of this is going to happen. I'm right here. All the way."

She shook her head.

He reached for her fingers, used his to push her pointer and middle out. "You have to let it all go," he whispered, holding tightly to her trembling hand. "Say it."

"What if you're wrong?!"

He stared into her red eyes, fearlessly, nodding. "I'm not. Trust me."

She took a deep breath and raised her fingers.

" _Release_."

* * *

When she opened her eyes, everything had changed. The blood and bodies no longer littered the floor. Even Boruto's condition, he stared up from under her, unscathed, but eyes glazed over. He smiled.

"See?" he croaked.

The jacket was pooled under him, leaving him with just his T-shirt, his arms exposed. He really had never put it back on. When she thought of him, she always pictured him with it on...He was right, they had never left the office at all.

She pushed the bridge of her glasses up, her thoughts whizzing at the events past before crying "I'm so sorry! Oh, what did I even do?!"

"It's...okay." His words faded as he drifted out of consciousness.

From across the desk, the room, Naruto had fallen to his knees, arms wrapped around an imaginary wound to his stomach. The man shook his head, clearing the image away. Noticing him, Sarada bowed her head.

"I'm sorry," she cried. "I drug you and him down with me! I didn't mean to!"

He seemed shocked at first, his eyes widened. Disturbed. But soon they blinked and he smiled grimly.

"So it _was_ you. I started to have my suspicions after you'd left. That Sasuke was something else..."

She began crying again, not even caring she was breaking down in front of her biggest role model. "I don't know how I did it exactly, I-I didn't mean it! I should know better!"

He shook his head, and got to his feet, wobbling at first. Evened out, he approached her, using the desk for support. He took a deep settling breath. "You've never been taught by another sharingan user before. To have linked us together, that's some intense prowess. The fact it was done unconsciously...You just need training and we can turn it around, okay? Its a great ability you have, and a great responsibility as an Uchiha."

"I promise it won't happen again. I—"

"We'll have Sasuke train you. No big deal. I mean...I kind of figured out what was going on after...um, a bit. Maybe learned some truths about myself that I need to reevaluate. So...It's okay."

Naruto placed his hand on his son's forehead. It was hot and dotted with perspiration. He didn't stir.

Feeling responsible, Sarada said timidly, "He was hurt really seriously inside it...Even if it wasn't real, pain is still in the mind."

Nodding, he scooped Boruto up in his arms. Sarada watched him somberly as he cradled him.

Part of her wanted to ask what he did to her father. But those questions were better left alone. They didn't matter.

And they never would.

It was just as Boruto had said. What had followed had only been projections of her worst fears, spurred on by her studies.

But she wasn't afraid anymore.

"Hey," he said softly. "Are you okay? I can take you to the hospital too."

She shook her head. "No, I'm fine."

"Sarada...let me ask of you this. As Sasuke's friend, and my son's father. Never push friends or family alone to try bear a burden yourself. Okay? That's where your father went wrong in the past. But no more. You have something he didn't have, or wouldn't let himself have. All of us would go to the ends of the earth for you, your entire family. History won't repeat if you don't make that same mistake, understand?"

She nodded, the motion resolute. "I know that. Thank you."

"And he loves you, you know that?"

"Yes, my father would never—"

"I was actually talking about my son."

She smiled, eyes glossing. He hadn't left her when he could have ran. Could have saved himself from the infliction she herself had brought on. "I know."

He smiled in return. "Let's go to the hospital now. Your mom's waiting for you."

Outside, the wind howled, rushing past the branches. Leaving, she looked back. Shadows crept, lingering ever the more.

_-FIN-_

_-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-_

 _ **It's OVER! YAAAAAAY! (KINDA...WHAT? KEEP READING)**_

 **Author's Note:**

 _I took some liberties , yes, but I wanted Boruto to earn his girl...And I wanted to get away with putting the twist right in the title. Ha ha. That was the best part for me, that and the final confrontations. Review please, and note I feel like a horrible writer but I'm still trying. **Constructive criticism helps**._

 _As for the story itself that probably should have stayed a one-shot, it originally came to me in the beginning of October I think for Halloween (sorry I didn't finish it in time XD), inspired by two films I love very much._ Inception _and_ Sucker Punch _. Both play with the idea of reality, and the latter takes it even deeper if you take a certain interpretation. Like who you think's the main character actually isn't._

 _Anyway, the original synopsis, the core idea, started out like this:_

"Sarada feels overpowered, that there's dark bad blood in her, a shadow from the past that she can't escape, and her fear triggers a Genjutsu without either of her or Boruto fully realizing it. All three are caught and desperately have to fish out original caster to break out."

* * *

 _Also, I decided that I would like to write more about an older Sarada (and her relationship with her distant father (which I have theories about)) who is in line to be the next Hokage, but first inherits the Uchiha Military Police Force, which will be operated in joint with Ibiki and Ino. I think it would be cool if she got to be partnered with the likes of Ibiki, and studied under Naruto while trying to be a normal girl with friends like Chocho and Ino. But I like my dramatic plots so what if...Mmm, what if the description went like this:_

"The future's full of opportunities and she's taking every one. First in line to be the next Hokage, Sarada also finds herself inheriting the Uchiha Military Police Force as her right. She's worked hard to get here. But then a man in a hood comes into the picture, dredging up the past with him. She's not her father, though. And she won't make his mistakes, _curse_ or not."

 _If it's to be written it will be titled_ **Indomitable** _, or_ **To the Future** _._

 _And no I have no clue who the hooded figure is yet. I'm sure I'll find someone to use..._

 _:)_

 _This is HPW, clocking out._


End file.
